Guardians of Hawaii: Encroaching Darkness: Birds of Prey
by Evil Cosmic Triplets
Summary: The darkness that Maui and Lono forewarned about is encroaching on the islands. It has found an acolyte willing to make a sacrifice of blood and innocence. Will the team be able to stop the follower of darkness in time, or will the darkness prevail? Transformed into birds, the team is pitted against true evil, and time is running out. This is part of the Guardians of Hawaii series.
1. Freedom Flight: Lou Grover

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the recognizable characters of this work of fiction, and no profit is being made, monetary or otherwise, through the writing of this.

 **Notes:** Momilani Ululanilelanikeaokawai means: pearl from heaven, divine inspiration, heavenly woman, the light of day, coming from water; Maui is not the Disney version of the Hawaiian god that we all know and love. I have taken bits and pieces of information from several different resources and combined them to recreate Maui and Lono in a way that I hope is entertaining, and not disrespectful.

 **A/N:** Thank you for the lovely support, IreneClaire. :-)

 **Warning:** This is different in tone than the previous parts of this story. It is heavier, and darker in content. The darkness (which is intentionally vague at the moment) is hoping to gain a foothold in the islands, and is using a follower willing to make a sacrifice of blood and innocence. There is blood and violence in this story.

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Freedom like he'd only experienced once before, as a dragon, was liberating. Lou dove toward the sparkling blue of the ocean, pulling up at the last second, no doubt avoiding a watery death. He let out a whoop that sounded a lot like an eagle's screech and circled the rest of Five-0, happier than he'd been in a long time, though that happiness was tempered by the nature of the mission they'd been given. Lou felt guilty for his momentary lapse, and focused straight ahead, flying even with Danny.

Maui, the demigod who often tested the five people he'd chosen to be the Guardians of the islands, had really outdone himself this time, Lou thought. He didn't really mind this transformation, or the long flight from Oahu to the big island (Hawaii).

From Smurf, to dragon, to a sizzling slice of bacon, to an eagle soaring through the clouds, there seemed to be no limit to what the demigod was willing, and able, to do to his chosen five. Lou wondered what the demigod would think of next, or if he'd finally trust them to tackle the darkness facing the islands as their human selves.

Part of him wanted to experience other transmogrifications, because, like flying, it was, in a way, liberating to be something else and experience a few hours, or longer, as something other than human. Another part of him, the part that still remembered the lingering heat of the frying pan (probably the part of him that still retained some semblance of sanity after joining Five-0 and becoming part of Maui's crew) wanted to remain in human form and kick some supernatural, or human, ass without the addition of godly mojo thrown into the mix. He wasn't sure which part of him he should listen to as he soared through a cloud and peered at the glimmering ocean below. From this height, and with his eagle-eye vision, the ocean looked like it had been infused with diamonds.

Danny, some kind of dark feathered hawk, was making a lazy swoop as he circled Steve, some kind of black eagle which Lou doubted existed in the real world, before pulling even once again with Lou.

Kono was skimming the water with her talons, almost as though she was surfing in her parrot form, pulling up every once in awhile, and then letting her talons dance across the waves. She was clearly having fun, and Lou tried not to let it bother him.

Chin was flying off to Steve's left, keeping an eye on his cousin, Danny, and Lou as he let the air currents carry him. A raven, Chin was smaller than the others, yet appeared to be just as formidable a foe as the rest of them with razor sharp talons that he'd used to scoop a fish out of the water and eat. Apparently he'd missed dinner when they'd been called into action.

Lou knew that a typical flight to the big island took a little under an hour, but that was on a plane. He wondered how long it would take them to reach their destination, and how long it would take them to then find the little girl they were supposed to save. She'd been kidnapped before they'd been dispatched, and was in danger.

According to Maui and Lono, who'd contacted them all in a dreamlike vision, the little girl, Momilani Ululanilelanikeaokawai, who was the future hope of the islands, was in danger of being killed by her kidnapper, a man who'd been corrupted by the evil darkness encroaching on the islands. The very darkness that they'd been chosen by Maui to fight against.

Why they'd been forced, once again, to take on alternate forms, was a mystery to Lou. Had they been human, they could have already been on the big island by now. He estimated that they'd been in the air for well over an hour. Who knew what the corrupted man had done to the little girl by now? She'd been with him for half a day by the time they'd been notified of the kidnapping by the gods, and by the time they'd taken flight, she'd been with him for three more hours.

Time was of the essence in kidnapping cases. True, they'd found out about her before the standard forty-eight hours allotted to such things, but in Lou's mind, they should have been notified before she'd even been taken so that she would not have to go through the terror of being kidnapped in the first place.

Lou's heart ached for the little girl, and he cried out as he flapped his wings, hoping to go faster, in spite of the powerful winds that seemed to be against them.

Unfortunately, it wasn't easy going, and Lou wondered why Maui and Lono didn't still the winds. If they cared at all for the little girl, and their chosen Guardians, surely they'd do everything in their power to make things easier, rather than harder.

Lou threw himself into a gravity defying dive, leaving Danny, then Steve behind. He passed Chin and came alongside Kono. He pulled up just before he hit the water and turned to glare at the 'surfing' parrot, reminding her that they were on a case. With an irritated squawk, Kono pulled out of the water, a fish dangling from one of her talons, and she flew up past Lou and then her cousin before dropping the fish and making a sound that could only be described as laughter when the fish landed in the water with an impressive splash.

Sighing, Lou climbed the air with his wings, and resumed his position high above the others where Danny was, both of them keeping an eye on the horizon, both keenly focused on the task at hand. As fathers of little girls, both of them had a rather vested interest in their current mission, not that the others didn't, but the others didn't seem as invested in the mission as they were. Maybe Lou was too close to the case to have perspective on the behavior of the others. Maybe he was reading something into Kono's actions that wasn't there. Maybe he was just pissed off at Maui and Lono for not putting them on the case earlier.

Danny brushed the tip of a wing against Lou's, a question in his eyes. They were unable to speak in their bird forms, much to everyone's annoyance, though they did seem to be able to communicate through actions and the typical sounds that birds made.

Lou responded by brushing Danny's wingtip in return and then he spotted land. Danny must've spotted it a second or two before Lou, because he broke away and flew an arc around the team, making an almost haunting screech that shook Lou's bones. It was clear what Danny was saying, _Land ahead, eyes sharp, get ready._

Steve rose in the air - the impressive span of his dark wings reminded Lou of the Dark Knight himself, Batman - and took the lead. Danny continued to fly in elegant arcs around them until they drew closer to land, and then he flew off ahead of them, ignoring Steve's sharp cry of rebuke.

Lou understood what Danny was doing, and while he understood Steve's concern, he silently applauded the hawk. As a smaller bird, Danny had the advantage over both Steve and Lou, he would be able to fit into tighter spaces (should it be necessary), and could fly a little faster than any of them. He also had the ability to make tighter turns than either Steve or Lou, and his eyesight was just a smidge better. As a hawk, Danny was the ideal scout for the team.

As a parrot, Kono was trailing a little behind them with Chin just in front of her. Both the raven and the parrot were known for their ability to mimic human speech, which would hopefully come in handy when they found the girl. Lou was hopeful that, even if it didn't seem like Maui and Lono were giving them much help on this mission, they had at least sent them off on the right course and that it wouldn't take them long to find the girl once they'd reached the coast of Hawaii.


	2. True Calling: Danny (Danno) Williams

**Disclaimer:** See initial chapter.

 **A/N:** This is short, but Danny does have more going on later on in this story, mostly as seen through the eyes of others. I did do some research on birds, but there may be inaccuracies. Keep in mind that this is an alternative universe that has supernatural and magical elements. Happy reading. :-)

Steve merchant 3 since I am unable to respond to you via PM, I shall do so here. Thank you for your kind comment. To make everything a little clearer, I have modified that sentence so that there is hopefully no confusion. I studied the island chains along with my seventh grade students for several years before moving up to 8th grade where we study other topics. Thank you for pointing out the confusion to me. I am rather embarrassed to have implied that the big island is the oldest. I'm living on the third oldest island in the chain. There is another island on its way, but I am not going to include it in this story at this point. Thank you again.

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Danny kept a sharp eye out for their quarry as he approached the shoreline. Mountains loomed ahead, and there were storm clouds rolling in. He narrowed his eyes and dipped lower in the sky, ignoring Steve's frantic calls behind him. He knew what he was doing, and there was no time to waste. The only danger was to the little girl they'd been sent out to rescue.

By Danny's estimation the little girl had been with her kidnapper for almost sixteen, maybe seventeen hours. They didn't have time for Steve to fret about him, or anyone else on the team. He was made into a hawk for a reason, and planned to use every one of the new skills that he had in tracking down the girl and her kidnapper. Hell, he'd rip the man apart with his talons and sharp beak if need be. Let the man die, whether or not he was possessed by some kind of evil that was stalking the islands.

Steve's cries had died down, and all Danny could hear was the roar of the wind as he soared through it. It was unlike anything he'd ever experienced before, and in spite of the circumstances, Danny found that he rather enjoyed the freedom that he felt, and how at home he felt in the skies. It could be a side effect of the transformation, but Danny wasn't about to question it, or let it go to waste.

He felt freer than he'd ever felt before, and more capable as well, like he was finally in his element and in the form that he was meant to be in all along. It was both an unsettling and exciting thought, one that Danny would probably ponder well after this mission was over and he was back to being a clunky human grounded by the heavy weight of gravity.

The wind pulled at Danny, and he let it guide him toward the mountains in the distance. There was very little foliage, no beach on this side of the island, just blackened lava cooled by the ocean, which crashed mightily against the sharp and steep cliffs. It was even more poignant seen through the eyes of a hawk. Human eyes were pitiful by comparison. They saw very little.

Closing his eyes for a few seconds, Danny savored the caress of the wind that carried him along, enjoying the way that it held him and how it carded through his wings, like the fingers of a lover. This was pure bliss and Danny didn't want it to end, though he knew it would. He wondered if he could petition Maui and lay claim to this form to turn into it at will.

Opening his beak, Danny let out a cry of pure joy that echoed off of the lava cliffs as he swerved to avoid hitting the cliff face. He finally understood Steve's adrenaline junkie ways. It was exhilarating. Danny could hear Steve's voice of warning behind him as he skimmed along, tips of his wing almost touching the face of the cliff.

 _I'm alive!_ Danny shouted, though it sounded like the piercing cry of a hawk, Danny knew that his feelings were carried along in the sound waves.

Another long cry from Steve had Danny veering from the cliff wall and raising in the air. No need to give his boyfriend a heart attack, though Danny did feel like turnabout was fair play. Steve had given him almost heart attacks more times than Danny could count. He'd lost track around near heart attack episode number twenty-nine and a half. Steve could be such a baby at times.

 _Spoilsport,_ Danny muttered, and a series of chattering sounds issued from his beak.

Steve touched the tip of Danny's wing with his own much larger wingtip, and Danny flew out in an arc from his lover, out of Steve's overbearing closeness, and over the darkened lava.

There was a sign in the middle of the blackened lava field. Danny perched himself on top of it, and gave a mournful cry what the sign said: Road Closed. The lava completely covered the sign's post, the only part still visible was the part of the sign that held the words, further down the way was another sign that read: No Parking. Both signs were reminders of the village that lie buried beneath the flow of lava.

It was eerily quiet. Danny supposed that most of the human visitors had left before the sun had started to set. It was a brilliant gold ball in the sky, sinking into the depths of the ocean.

They needed to find the little girl soon, because Maui had warned them that the danger to the little girl would increase once the sun had fully set. The man who held her was going to perform a ceremony, welcoming the god of the darkness to the islands by sacrificing the blood of Hawaii's light to Pele, the goddess of volcanoes and fire, and Kanaloa, the god of the ocean, which would give the darkness direct access to the island that had given birth to all of the other islands in the Hawaiian chain, Kauai, by way of her youngest, Hawaii. The possessed man would act at the rise of the Hunter's Moon.


	3. True Leadership: Steven McGarrett

**Disclaimer:** See initial chapter.

 **A/N:** This one surprised me.

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Steve couldn't make heads or tails of Danny's actions, and was, in a word, miffed. Steve was the leader of Five-0, and yet Danny had flown out ahead of them all, heedless of Steve's calls for him to come back. They had to formulate a plan, and Steve wanted (needed) to keep Danny in sight.

He had a bad feeling about all of this, and Danny's brash actions weren't helping. Oh, Steve knew that he'd get an earful if he ever voiced any of his thoughts to Danny, but he really couldn't help it, he was worried about the man that he loved, especially now that Danny was in bird form, never mind the fact that Danny's talons were sharp enough to rend flesh from bone, and that Steve himself was a bird as well. None of that mattered. What mattered was that Danny was in sight at all times, where Steve could make sure that Danny stayed safe.

Yes, there was a little girl to rescue, and, yes, it was literally a matter of life and death, but Steve's mind was focused mostly on Danny and he couldn't quite figure out why. There had to be a reason, other than the obvious. Steve loved Danny more than life itself, but usually he could tuck those feelings away until it was safe to express them, and when they weren't working a case like this.

No matter what form they took whenever Maui and Lono called them into action, Steve had always, until now, had Danny right beside him. It felt strange to have Danny always ahead of him now, leading the charge inland, like Danny was in his element.

Steve inwardly cursed as he realized that he was jealous of Danny who seemed to take to flight as though he'd been born to it, like he'd been meant to be born a hawk, rather than a human, but someone had made a mistake. Or maybe Danny'd been a hawk in a previous life.

Steve felt awkward, his large wings, bulky. He enjoyed flying planes and helicopters. It was pure joy to skydive, and there was little more he liked than hang gliding. Just him and the wind beneath him, holding him up.

Being a bird was hard work, and not at all what Steve had imagined when Maui and Lono had come to them in a vision. Of all of them, Steve had thought that he'd have been the one to take to flight and own it, but it seemed like he was the only one not enjoying himself.

Danny would accuse him of brooding, and no doubt comment on some 'face' that Steve was making, even in bird form when all he had to express himself was a beak and a pair of eyes that could see further than Steve had ever seen before. Not that it was doing him any good at the moment, because Danny had dipped out of sight, the color of his feathers blending in with that of the hardened lava.

When Steve finally caught up with Danny, he was going to give his partner a piece of his mind, and make sure that Danny didn't fly off on his own again. Except, that's not quite what happened when Steve came abreast of his partner, tapping Danny's wing with the tip of his own. Instead of turning to acknowledge Steve, Danny had flown away from him and ignored him completely to sit on top of a sign that had been swallowed by the lava flow that had started in the late 80's.

He couldn't tell if Danny was angry with him, or if his friend was simply focused on the task at hand. Too big to fit on the sign alongside Danny (and probably even if Danny wasn't perched on it) Steve circled overhead, keeping one eye on Danny and another eye out for any sign of their quarry.

Lou was flying in a great circle even higher than Danny, no doubt doing what Steve should have been doing all along.

Kono was flying lower to the ground, mere inches above it, making sweeping passes from one side of the lava field to the other.

Chin had gone further inland, toward the volcano itself, which is probably where the little girl's blood would be brought. The man would not kill her there. It would be too risky. His own life probably mattered very little to him, but Steve doubted that he'd risk the little girl's body to the lava that still flowed freely down one side of the volcano and bubbled within it. Steve could see the sparks from the fiery lava dancing in the air around the mouth of the volcano.

 _Danny_ , Steve said. It came out as a series of short, throaty chirps, and Danny's head swiveled, turning almost three-hundred sixty degrees. It was a little unnerving, as was the sharp, narrow-eyed gaze that Danny gave him. Danny's eyes were still a striking blue, and Steve wondered if his own eyes were the same color they were when he was human.

Danny flexed a wing and shifted on his post, turning away from Steve, gaze looking out toward something that Steve could not see, even with his enhanced, eagle-eye vision. A rebuff if Steve had ever seen one before. Steve tried not to feel hurt, but he couldn't seem to help it.

Suddenly, Chin made a series of loud caws that almost sounded like the words, _Here, here! Over here!_ It was rather eerie, and Steve felt a shiver run through his feathers. He turned his attention away from Danny and searched out Chin's location before taking off in the direction that Chin's cries were coming from, Danny following a little to the right of Steve, Kono turning around mid-sweep to head toward her cousin. Lou swept above them all, his wings a stark color against the bleeding colors of the sun in the sky as it set.

Blood rushed through him and thrummed in his veins. He could feel the vibration of it in his bones. This was it. They'd found their guy, now all they had to do was incapacitate him and get the girl to safety.


	4. Keeping Watch: Chin Ho Kelly

**Disclaimer:** See initial chapter.

 **A/N:** My knowledge of birds is not perfect. I did some research, but have also gifted these birds with magic (or rather, Maui has).

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Chin had never wanted to kill someone as much as he wanted to kill the man he watched from his perch on the curved branch of a red 'Ohi'a Lehua tree growing within a crack of the hardened lava. Completely engrossed in his work, the man had not seen, or heard Chin. He seemed oblivious to anything but his task at hand, prepping the little girl, Momilani, for sacrifice.

Momilani bore bruises on her arms, legs, and face, and there were tracks of tears on her dust covered cheeks. She was unconscious now, and Chin wondered how long she'd been that way, if the man had drugged her or knocked her unconscious with a fist, or one of the many rocks that littered the ground. He couldn't see any blood surrounding her head, or any telltale marks that she'd been hit in the head or the face, but he didn't have the best vantage point for that, and was several feet away from the pair.

Chin could see by the scratch and bite marks on the man's forearms that Momilani had fought him tooth and nail. He felt a burst of pride for the little girl, and anger burned bright in his gut as he watched the man place the girl's hands on her chest, almost as though she was merely sleeping, and then gather rope to bind them, as he'd bound her at the ankles, ropes digging in painfully.

There was a knife beside the man, laid out on a white, hand stitched cloth. It glinted in the waning sunlight, and Chin felt an urge to grab the curved knife and run off with it, not just to keep it from the deranged man, but to have it for himself. He shook off the baser instinct that had apparently been instilled in him during his transformation into a bird, and waited for the others to arrive.

It would do no good for him to take off with the knife if the man was still with Momilani. He could use the sharp edge of a lava rock to slit her throat and spill the contents of her stomach. The rest of the ceremony the man was preparing to perform would end with the removal of the girl's hands, feet, and then her eyes, all while she bled out from the wound in her throat and stomach, though Chin reasoned she'd probably be dead by the time he moved from her stomach. Not that it was any consolation.

The man picked up the knife, and Chin made another sharp caw, and was only mildly relieved when he saw the dark shapes of Lou and Steve circling overhead.

Kono took a seat on a branch adjacent to the one that Chin occupied and tilted her head to the side, making a chittering noise in question, which Chin took to mean, _What's the plan?_

It was clear in the way that Kono fluffed her feathers out and then stiffened that she, too, was watching the man's calculated and almost robotic movements. She narrowed her dark eyes at the man, and Chin could almost hear the gears turning in her head, as she plotted to take the knife. He shook his own head, no, in response to her thoughts, and Kono shook out her feathers, clearly uncomfortable with what she was witnessing, but willing to listen to Chin and defer to him.

They really did make a good team, no matter what anyone else in the family thought. He'd learned the hard way that he couldn't please the Kellys or the Kalakauas, and had learned to live with it, though it still stung sometimes.

Chin could sense, but not see, that Danny was near, that he had his eyes on the man and the little girl. He shivered in response to what he could sense coming from his friend, and could only watch, in shock, as Danny swooped down upon the man from a ledge that protruded from a nearby outcropping of dark rocks. He'd blended in with them perfectly and had used the camouflage the rocks had offered to his advantage.

Kono let out a soft sound of awe and approval, cheering quietly as Danny fell upon the man, talons tearing into the back of the man's neck, and scalp, coming free with chunks of flesh and hair. The blood looked almost black in the twilight. It had happened so quickly that Chin wondered if he was really seeing it.

Danny had turned into a savage beast right before their eyes, powerful wings beating against the man's face and head, talons digging into muscle and coming away dripping blood. Danny pecked at the man's face, his sharp beak came away with a chunk of the man's cheek, and was dangerously close to gouging the man's eye out.

The man tried to bat Danny away, and only succeeded in getting his arms scratched all to hell for his efforts. He screamed in pain and terror, backing away from the little girl as he attempted to get away from the angry bird. The man reached blindly for the knife and grasped it with the tips of his fingers.

Grinning manically, the madman swung the knife wildly before him, catching Danny's wing and ripping into it, rending it almost completely from Danny's body. Danny cried out and fell to the ground, wing lame beside him. The sound of Danny's cry, angry and pained, was unlike anything Chin had ever heard before, and it made him shudder as did seeing Danny try, and fail, to stay upright.

Danny's cry was quickly followed by a loud bellow, and Steve came rushing in on the struggling pair, dive bombing directly onto the hand that held the bloodied knife. When he pulled away from the man, Steve had, not only the knife, but the man's severed thumb dangling from his talons as well.

The man hugged his bleeding hand to his chest, and scrambled backwards -eyes wide and filled with fear - to get away from the very angry dark bird that had torn his thumb off.

Steve was stalking the man now, the thumb and knife forgotten in his anger as he hopped toward his prey. With the light waning, Steve looked like the Grim Reaper, wings unfurled to their full length and flapping, neck slightly bent, head down, beak red with dripping blood as he chased after the man, eyes glinting a dark gold. Chin silently cheered him on. Part of him wanted to jump into the fight, but he knew that Steve didn't need any help, Danny and the little girl did.

Momilani was out of immediate danger, Danny wasn't. Mind made up, Chin flew to Danny, quickly assessing the damage done to his friend's wing. It was a bloody mess and hanging by a handful of feathers that were still somehow attached to his body. His eyes were mere slits. It was clear that Danny was in pain, and Chin didn't know how to help him in his current form.

He walked around Danny and reached out a wing to offer some comfort. Danny shuddered, and tried to pull away. He made a huffing chirp that was heartbreaking.

 _Let me help you, Danny,_ Chin said, concerned. His words sounded warped with his bird vocalization. He knew that ravens could mimic human speech, but his words came out sharp and inelegant as they were processed by his syrinx.

Danny seemed to consider Chin for a moment, his body listing to the side before he finally bowed his head and let Chin wrap a wing around him. Careful not to touch the damaged wing, Chin simply held Danny as best he could, and hoped that Maui and Lono would fix this.

Screams rent the air. The scent of blood was thick and cloying, but Chin kept his focus on Danny who'd started to shiver and sink toward the ground. He did his best to hold Danny upright with his wings, and wished that he was something a little more useful.

 _Hang in there, Danny,_ Chin said, hoping that Danny could understand the strange intonations he made as a raven.

Tucking Danny's nodding head toward his breast and holding onto him with every bit of strength that he could muster, Chin used his wings to cradle the silent and much too still hawk to his body, and prayed that Steve would be finished soon. Danny, though he'd probably deny it, needed his partner now more than anyone else. Chin was a poor substitute, but he was determined to help his friend in any way that he could, even if all he could do was stand by his side and hold him upright.


	5. Gift of Song: Kono Kalakaua

**Disclaimer** : See initial chapter.

 **A/N:** Lyrics from "Hawaiian Lullaby" - Words by Hector Venegas & Peter Moon, music by Peter Moon. You can find versions of it sung on YouTube by a variety of groups. I listened to the version sung by Faith Rivera.

Though this is the longest chapter thus far (Maui's might be longer); it was by far the most difficult one for me to write. I didn't want to downplay Kono's abilities as a part of the team, yet I wanted her to have a little bit of a softer edge for this particular story. We do see a lot through her eyes.

* * *

Kono couldn't believe her eyes. Heart hammering madly in her chest, Kono watched Steve advance on the kidnapper and knew that the man would not survive the confrontation. It was both exciting and terrifying.

She'd been surprised by Danny's attack, but Steve's, however, had been completely expected. Kono had known that Steve would join the fray well before Danny'd been injured. Wherever Danny went, Steve followed, and vice versa. They were, at times, different sides of the same coin.

Tearing her gaze away from the gory scene unraveling before her, Kono turned toward the little girl, and sighed in relief. Lou had swooped down to cut the ropes that bound Momilani. He used his talons and his beak, careful not to injure the child any further as he bit and tore through the coarse binds. He was far more gentle than any natural eagle would be.

'Gentle giant,' Kono thought as she watched Lou work through each layer of rope, taking his time so that he wouldn't nick Momilani, and yet working quickly and efficiently. He was like that in his human form, too, gentle when he needed to be, and a 'hammah' when it was warranted. Lou was a man that you wanted on your side. Powerful, patient, persistent, Lou did what was necessary to get the job done.

It was amazing to watch him at work now, even with Steve's attack on the kidnapper going on beside him, Lou was not distracted. He kept hacking away at the binds, every once in awhile checking on the little girl, and giving her a gentle nudge on the cheek with his head.

Startled out of her stupor when Momilani started to rouse, Kono flew to the pair, and landed beside the little girl. Lou gave Kono a nod of approval and then bent down to finish on the last knot that bound the little girl's hands, freeing them with a few sharp nips.

Momilani blinked awake, frowning as she took in her surroundings. Fearing that the little girl would cry and attract the attention of her kidnapper who was still trying to fight off Steve, Kono hopped onto Momilani's chest and tried to look as nonthreatening as possible while Lou moved down to work on the ropes wound around the little girl's ankles.

"Auntie?" Momilani rasped in a quiet voice. "Where are you?"

Not wanting the girl to be more frightened than she probably already was, Kono sang a song that she must've heard a million times when she was a little girl. Her grandmother, mother, and auntie had sung it to her when she'd been little. It came out differently when sung as a bird, but it drew a hesitant smile from Momilani who pushed herself into a sitting position, causing Kono to take to flight just above her, and then land in Momilani's lap once she'd settled.

Though Kono was aware of the life and death fight that still continued to rage off to the side, of Danny's deadly wound, and of Lou working a few short inches away from where she stood, perched in Momilani's lap, Kono continued to sing. Tears welled up in the little girl's eyes, and Kono's heart ached, but still, she sang, and when Momilani reached out to touch and pet her, Kono didn't flinch, but held her ground and kept singing.

Unaware that the sound of her singing carried well beyond the pair of them, to Steve and the kidnapper, to Danny and Chin, to Lou, who'd finished removing the binds from the girl's ankles, Kono belted out the words as she remembered them, and they came out sounding almost like human speech.

" _Where I live, there are rainbows/And flowers full of colors and birds filled with song..."_

Momilani sniffed and hugged Kono to herself, petting Kono's bright, silky feathers as she struggled to understand what was happening and where she was. Kono let the girl hold her and hoped that Maui and Lono would provide a way for them to get Momilani home to her auntie.

"Pretty bird," Momilani whispered on a choked breath, fingers gliding through Kono's feathers in a way that made shivers of delight course through Kono's body. She wondered, idly, leaning into the touch, if this was how dogs felt when they were being petted. If she'd been turned into a cat, Kono was certain that she'd be purring in contentment right now, instead, she chirped and closed her eyes as tiny fingers roamed through her feathers.

"Pretty bird," Momilani repeated, dropping a kiss to Kono's head and giggling when Kono ruffled her feathers, squawked and opened her eyes.

Blinking at the little girl, Kono butted her head against the girl's hand, wanting to be petted a little longer. The feeling was unlike anything she'd ever experienced before. It was, simply put, heaven on earth. It was like the world around them had faded away to little more than a suggestion of movement and sound. Nothing else existed aside from Momilani and her magical fingers.

Like all good things, though, even this had to come to an end. Unfortunately, the end came with a literal bang that shook the ground Momilani was sitting on and uprooted a few nearby trees.

The outside world returned to Kono in a multitude of sensations, and she was aware of several things all at once - Danny had fallen, a pool of blood surrounded him, and both Chin and Lou were covering his much too still body with their wings; Steve had murder in his very mein, an eyeball dangling from his beak, a chunk of flesh in one of his talons, and his black feathers were covered in a sheen of blood; the deranged kidnapper and would be killer was now a mangled mess, various body parts strewn throughout the lava field; and both Lono and Maui were standing in their midst, covered by of a cloud of soft, glowing light.

"Come forward, Guardian McGarrett." Maui's voice rang like thunder, and Steve shook his feathers, sending droplets of blood flying out over the field.

A drop of blood landed on Kono's wing, and she shuddered in disgust, hoping that none of the blood had landed on Momilani. That was the last thing the little girl needed. As it was, she would probably have enough nightmares to last a lifetime.

"Enough, Guardian," Maui said, beckoning Steve forward with a crooked finger.

Steve seemed to glare at the demigod, his eyes flashing an impossible shade of gold. Instead of moving toward Maui and Lono, Steve flung the eyeball in their direction and then let loose a series of high-pitched whistles that sent chills down Kono's spine and caused Momilani to tighten her grip on the colorful parrot.

Maui's eyes flashed as well, and Kono could swear that she saw lightning in them. Momilani buried her face in Kono's bright feathers and dug her fingers into them. Though the little girl's hold was a little too tight, and Kono felt like some of her feathers had been pulled loose, she did not protest and let the little girl hold onto her as tightly as she needed to. If the only thing Kono could do right now was offer comfort, then that was what she was going to do, no matter that every fiber of her being wanted to tear into Maui for what he'd allowed to happen to Danny and Momilani.

"Maui," Lono said, voice cracking like a whip.

Maui turned his angry glare from Steve to Lono and then looked away, head hanging as though he'd been chastised. He mumbled something that Kono couldn't quite hear, but whatever it was made the corners of Lono's mouth lift into a brief smile before he placed a finger beneath Maui's chin and raised the demigod's eyes. There was something whirling in Maui's eyes that made Kono's heart skip a beat, and then pound almost dangerously fast.

"Your Guardian's mate is hurt, you cannot expect him to do your bidding without first assuring him that you will heal the one he loves," Lono said in a voice that was as soothing as a gently babbling brook.

Maui's countenance darkened for a moment and he crossed his arms over his chest and puffed it out. Lono laid a hand on Maui's shoulder and squeezed. He ducked his head to make eye contact with Maui, and the demigod shuddered and dropped his hands to the side. Sighing, Maui nodded once, and then took a step forward.

Steve made a single, high-pitched piping note of warning and moved to stand between Maui and Danny's fallen form. Wings stretched out to their full, impressive length Steve almost looked like a god himself, or an avenging angel of death. Kono let out a breath she'd been holding and shifted in Momilani's hold, earning a looser hold and a few tentative strokes of fingers through her feathers. Though she was trying to keep the little girl calm, Kono felt like she was the one who was being comforted.

Pulling his trademark curved, wooden fish hook out of thin air, Maui strode purposefully toward Chin, Lou and Danny, ignoring Steve's increasingly threatening whistles of warning. The carvings on the hook glowed with a white, effervescent light that was almost mesmerizing. Kono couldn't seem to take her eyes off of it.

Maui knelt beside the trio of birds and spoke too quietly for Kono to hear. Chin clicked his beak and flexed the wing covering Danny before bobbing his head and shifting away from Danny, revealing the bloody form of the hawk who was barely breathing.

Lou puffed out his chest and made a series of piping notes that Kono thought were warnings. Instead of blasting Lou with his hook, Maui bowed toward the majestic eagle and gestured toward Danny with his hook. Fluffing his feathers and shaking his wings out, Lou finally pulled them in toward his body and moved aside, allowing Maui to have direct access to Danny, though he watched both Maui and Danny closely.

There was a booming sound and a wave of heat was accompanied by a blinding light that blinked in and then out of existence, and suddenly Steve was standing in his human form, naked, arms crossed angrily over his chest as he stared down Lono who had placed himself between Steve and Maui. Lono didn't look angry. He looked sympathetic and understanding, though Kono did not doubt that if Steve persisted in trying to get past him to Maui and Danny, Lono would lay him out by any means necessary.

Steve's jaw clenched and he paced in front of Lono like a caged tiger, muscles rippling. "I need to go to Danny," Steve said, voice raspy from his time as an eagle.

Lono shook his head, and placed his hands on Steve's shoulders. "You need to let Maui heal your mate."

Snorting in derision, Steve pulled away from Lono. "If Maui cared so much about us, and about this little girl," Steve pointed in the direction of Momilani, who had buried her face in Kono's feathers once again, "he wouldn't have let any of this happen, Danny wouldn't need to be healed, and that little girl would be home, safe and sound."

Shaking his head, and giving Steve a piercing look, Lono pulled Steve into the bright cloud he stood in, and turned Steve toward where Maui was knelt on the ground, the broken hawk cradled in his arms. "Watch, and listen, young Guardian," Lono commanded, voice hard but not harsh.

"The ways of the gods are not the ways of men. The ways of men are not the ways of gods. We do not need to explain anything to mere mortals, but, so that you do not continue down this path of butting heads with Maui, I will explain," Lono said, wrapping an arm around Steve's shoulders and waving a hand before them, showing pictures of men and of gods throughout time.

"The gods put it in the hearts and minds of men to act in ways that are good and pure, but the hearts and minds of men are corrupt, and the paths they take are not within the hands of the gods," Lono continued, showing them pictures of wars and of the darkness they'd been warned about in the vision they'd had before this mission.

"We can only direct; it is up to men to follow. It is when they deviate from the paths that are good and pure, that they suffer and cause the suffering of others, even the innocent," Lono explained, showing how Momilani had been tricked into following her kidnapper.

"You can no more blame Maui for what happened to this little girl, and your mate than you can blame yourself," Lono said, showing Steve pictures of the kidnapping and of Danny in flight.

"Tell me, was it Maui or you or Danny himself who chose to go after the one corrupted by darkness?" Lono asked, voice gentle as he showed images of Danny ignoring Steve's calls to him and flying off on his own, and then attacking the kidnapper.

Steve's shoulders sagged and he mumbled something to Lono that made the god smile, and he turned, along with Kono, to watch Maui with Danny. The hawk was covered in blood and appeared to be dead.


	6. Long Way Home: Maui

**Disclaimer:** See initial chapter.

 **A/N:** To see what Maui says to Danny and the little girl, see notes posted at the end. I used Google translate, so the translations are not perfect.

* * *

Maui wanted to put on a stoic face and prove to the humans that he was their superior, that they should tremble in his wake, but seeing one of his Guardians mortally wounded, and another in such obvious pain and sorrow because of it, he couldn't.

He knew that Lono would call this growth, that he would praise Maui for setting aside his pride and putting others first, but Maui couldn't help but feel like he was not just laying aside his pride, but giving away something of himself in the act of humbling himself before mere mortals. It wasn't something he was comfortable with, never mind the fact that he'd been living among the mortals not too long ago.

Taking a page out of Lono's book, Maui shoved his own anger and pride aside and tried to see things from his chosen Chief Guardian's point of view. It was clear that the mortal was angry at Maui for letting this happen, but underlying that anger was fear, and a lack of trust in Maui.

Maui knew that he only had himself to blame for the lack of faith in him, because he'd put the mortal Guardians through trials that were seemingly impossible. Yes, they'd succeeded in each of their trials, but they never knew when Maui would give them another trial, or what they'd end up facing, or being. It wasn't what the mortals would call fair, and some of the trials he'd put them through were governed by his own considerable anger at something that had been said about him.

He pulled the fallen bird into his arms and touched the tip of his hook to the bird's chest. Closing his eyes, he listened, not to what Lono was saying, or the wind howling around them, or the faint taunts of the encroaching darkness that had glutted itself on the spilled blood of the man it had enticed to do its bidding. He listened, instead, to the fading heartbeat of the dying bird, and heard the thinning voice of the Guardian's waning thoughts.

 _Forgive Steven. He's a neanderthal at the best of times, and thinks he knows everything. Please look after Grace and Charlie, and find someone to replace me. For what it's worth, thank you for giving me wings and letting me fly. I've never felt quite so... me before._

Frowning, Maui looked at the bloodied hawk in his arms, and for the first time, he saw Danny's true nature, and his connection to his hawk form. He'd chosen the members of the Five-0 task force to be his Guardians for Hawaii because they were already proven warriors who could hold their own against criminals, but now, he realized that they were more than human instruments for him to use in the war against darkness. They were not dispensable tools as he'd been taught to believe. They were rather remarkable creatures, who, in spite of the fact that they knew they would one day perish, continued to live and fight as though each day was the only one they had.

It was amazing. Danny's heart and soul were amazing, Maui couldn't help but think as he continued to parse through the man's dying thoughts and memories. Not one was of himself. Each thought was centered on his family and friends, even on the islands of Hawaii themselves.

 _I would make you Chief Guardian_ , Maui spoke his thoughts directly to Danny's heart. _For I see that you are a warrior worthy of the honor. One who would think nothing of sacrificing himself for the greater good. One who places the needs and desires of others before himself._

There was a sense of laughter and Maui knew that Danny did not see himself as he saw him, and that he was passing on the opportunity to lead that Maui would hand to him.

 _I appreciate the sentiment, but I don't want to be the Chief Guardian. Promise me that you won't let Steve wallow,_ was Danny's final thought as he took his last breath.

Calling upon his magic, Maui waved his wooden hook over the wounded bird, and said, "He manuʻa hōʻailona, ua hakakā maikaʻiʻoe a ua loaʻa iāʻoe kahi uku e pono ai ka ikaika a me ka nui o kou puʻuwai." Maui's heart welled with emotion as he looked down at the bird that held Danny's spirit within it, and saw into the very heart of Danny Williams. There was far more to the mortal than met the eye. He was worthy of being called a Guardian of Hawaii, maybe more.

"ʻO wau,ʻo Maui, ka mea i hāpai i ka lewa a mālama i ke ao i ke kai, hāʻawi iāʻoe i ka mea a kou naʻau i makemake ai." Maui felt the build-up of power within his very blood as the hook started to vibrate in response to Danny's spiritual energy, something which Maui had never experienced before. It was oddly moving.

"Hiki iāʻoe ke hoʻololi i keʻano o ka hawk i ka makemake, a hoʻolei i nā lewa i ka puʻuwai o kou puʻuwai. ʻO wau, e Maui, e hāʻawi iāʻoe i kēia," Maui chanted, granting Danny his wish to be a shapeshifting hawk, knowing that Danny would not be frivolous with the supernatural power he'd be wielding within both his mortal human body and when he embodied the hawk.

Closing his eyes, Maui allowed magic to flow through him into Danny through the channel of his fish hook, unaware that both he and Danny were engulfed in an otherworldly phosphorescent rainbow of light that obscured them from the sight of the others. Maui's mind was awash with visions of the future, and of Danny's place within it.

Maui raised the damaged hawk into the air and shouted, " 'Ānō hoʻi, e kuʻu Kahu kiaʻi i kohoʻia, e ola. ʻO ka mea i haehaeʻia e hoʻopaʻaʻia. Pēlā paha ia, a hiki paha iāʻoe ke nānā hou i nā lewa, koʻu kahu, ka manaolana'ēheu o Hawaii a me ke kohoʻia o ke kahu aliʻi."

The light around them shifted and became concentrated on the injured wing, binding it together, making it stronger, and infusing Danny with supernatural magic. Maui opened his eyes just as the hawk was enveloped by the variegated light, and for a moment everyone could see Danny's human form superimposed over that of the hawk before the light was completely absorbed by the healed hawk.

Maui held Danny a moment longer before setting the hawk on the branch of a nearby tree and patting him on the head. He relinquished the hook and it disappeared, returning home for safekeeping.

Turning around, Maui was aware that he was being watched carefully, and that Steve's eyes were locked on him. There was fury simmering in their depths, and Maui finally understood why Steve felt the way that he did about Danny. He could feel it, too.

"Your mate's health has been restored, and his wish has been granted. He will be able to shift from human to hawk as he wills," Maui said, speaking solely to Steve, though he knew that the others were listening in as well. He had a feeling that the only thing from keeping Steve from attacking him was Lono's restraining hand on the man's shoulder.

"This wouldn't have happened if you hadn't -"

"Played god with you?" Maui interrupted, sensing what Steve was going to say.

Lono gave a quick shake of his head, and Maui knew that Lono was telling him not to bait the distressed and angry man. Maui willed his own anger to subside, knowing that people no longer felt about the gods as they used to, and that Steve and the other Guardians did not hold the same amount of fearful respect for them as past generations had.

"You could have told us about the girl sooner," Steve said. "Magicked us to her immediately, and prevented all of this." He waved his hands around them, encompassing the bloodied remains of the man that he'd killed in his fury, and the little girl sitting not too far away. She held Kono in her arms, hugging the brightly plumaged parrot to her chest, and was flanked on either side by Chin and Lou, who blocked the sight of the carnage from her eyes with his expansive wings.

"If I had done that, then -"

"Danny wouldn't have been hurt," Steve said in a voice filled with anguish.

"And you would not have killed," Maui said, finishing Steve's thought.

"The emissary of darkness could meet no other fate," Lono said. His voice was sorrowful, and Maui started to understand what it meant to have compassion for mortals, and why it mattered so much to Lono that Maui move beyond his temperamental outbursts so that he could truly help mankind.

"It had to end this way," Lono said. "I am sorry." He squeezed Steve's shoulder and the mortal swallowed. "His continued existence would have brought nothing but anarchy and horror to the islands, even if you'd managed to save Momilani without taking his life."

"I am not going to apologize to you," Maui said, approaching Steve cautiously. "Not because of my position, or because I feel it is unnecessary, but because my actions were sound. It is time that you, and the others, understood what is at stake. This is not a game, and I wish that I had reined in my temper earlier, but neither of us is without our flaws."

Maui placed a hand on Steve's forearm and a sigil was etched into Steve's skin that wound itself around his arm. It marked him as the Chief Guardian. When Danny chose to return to his human form, he, too would have a sigil indicating that he was second, only to the Chief, as a chosen Guardian.

"Both of us are prone to pride and anger," Maui said, and he felt his heart flutter at the look that Lono gave him. It was a mixture of love and pride, but not the kind of pride that led to the falls which Maui and Steve had taken.

"We need to put these aside so that we can honor the people of Hawaii, and those under our leadership," Maui said, feeling the heaviness and sincerity of the words even as he spoke them.

"If you will lead your team, with your mate by your side, and work with me, then I will swear on Lono and on the islands of Hawaii themselves, not to subject any of you to petty transformations from this time forward," Maui promised.

Steve's eyes narrowed as he mulled over Maui's promise. "How do I know that you won't back out on this promise of yours, that you won't turn us into worms or a circus of fleas because you feel slighted by something I or Danny or any of the others have said?"

It was a valid concern, much to Maui's embarrassment. He looked to Lono who raised an eyebrow in question as well.

"I have already sworn on the two things that matter the most to me," Maui said. "I know that you doubt my word, Guardian, but it is all that I have, and I understand your doubts, but it is imperative that we trust each other."

Steve shook his head, and opened his mouth, but before he could say anything, Danny was landing on his shoulder with a loud peal of sound that echoed through the lava field. He landed gently on Steve's shoulder, but nipped at Steve's ear, drawing a bead of blood and causing Steve to turn his head in alarm to look at the bird. Face adopting an incredulous and almost defensive look, Steve tried to make heads or tails out of what Danny was 'saying' to him, but it was clear to Maui that Steve was clueless.

Danny made a show of fluffing his feathers and opening and closing his previously injured wing, and tweaking Steve's ear a second time, this time a little less aggressively. Lono chuckled as Danny continued to 'speak' to Steve in hawk, using his wings and feathers to gesture as he 'spoke'. It was rather amusing, but Maui didn't think he could get away with showing his amusement the same way that his elder could.

Puffing out his chest, and then grasping Steve's ear with his beak once again, Danny turned Steve's head until he faced Maui and then chirped once, rather loudly. Steve winced, and took a deep breath, but immediately exhaled when Danny batted him about the head with his wings.

"Fine," Steve said, throwing his hands up in an attempt to calm Danny down. "Fine, I'll work with Maui. Give a guy some feathers, and - ouch! Fu...dge, Danno, that really hurt. Stop pinching my ear with your beak."

Seemingly satisfied with Steve's response, Danny settled on his shoulder, and, after one more nip at Steve's earlobe that elicited a scowl from the man, Danny folded his feathers about himself and made a contented sounding trill. Maui had understood everything that Danny had said, and was surprised that the man had spoken up for him, and encouraged Steve to give Maui a chance.

"Thank you, Guardians," Maui said, and then he bowed to each of them in turn. "You have done well, and shall be rewarded for your efforts in fighting against the darkness, but I am afraid that our fight is not over. There will be more missions and trials, and you will be facing grave danger."

"If you choose not to fight with us, we will release you from your service, and you will have no memory of what has transpired tonight, or prior," Lono said. "This fight is not for the fainthearted. Sacrifices will be required, and missions will not be easy. The one who harnesses the darkness is almost upon us, and it will be up to you five, should you choose to continue, to help keep it out of the islands. We will do what we can to help you, but the help we can provide is limited and we are bound by ancient laws that govern the gods to keep them from interfering too much in the affairs of mortal men."

Maui resumed his place beside Lono and waited for the Guardians he'd chosen to make their decisions. Steve opened his mouth, and immediately closed it when Danny tweaked his ear. He let out a huff of air and glared at his partner, muttering something that made Lono laugh.

It was Lou who made the first move. Stepping forward and unfurling his wings, he took to flight, circling above before returning to land beside Steve. Chin followed suit, though he brought a red flower from the 'Ohi'a Lehua tree and took a place on Steve's other shoulder, nodding toward Danny as he did so, and passing the flower over to him.

Kono, still held tightly within Momilani's arms, indicated her willingness to continue on in the fight against the darkness through song, ' _E ala e, e ala e 'a, e 'a e 'a, e ala e 'a, e ala e...'_ clear voice ringing through the lava fields.

"It is done," Maui said, bringing his hands together in a thunderous clap that resounded throughout the islands. "You have made your choice, and are now bound together in mind, soul, and heart by it."

"Maui and I will carry the child back to her home," Lono said. "May the winds be with you on your flight home, and may your sleep be pleasant."

Maui snapped his fingers and Steve transformed once more into the form of a mighty eagle, dispelling Danny from his shoulder and racing after him up into the moonlit sky as Danny flew up and away, voicing his joy as Steve took up the chase. Maui stood and watched the pair for a moment before turning his attention to Momilani and extricating Kono from her arms.

Kono sang a departing note to the little girl before soaring into the air, joining her cousin and Lou in making lazy circles while they waited for Danny and Steve to stop their game of tag. Maui smiled at the pair of birds, committing this happy moment to memory, knowing that moments like these would be few and far between in the days to come.

"ʻO ka moe a me ka moeʻuhane o nā meaʻoluʻolu, a i kou wā e ala ai, aia i loko o nā lima hōʻoluʻolu o kou makuahine," Maui spoke quietly to Momilani, touching her forehead with his thumb and spelling her to sleep with a gentle magic that would ensure pleasant dreams.

"E hoʻomanaʻoʻoe i kēia lā i kahi e lanakila ai ka maikaʻi ma luna o ka hewa, a e hele pahaʻoe ma muli o ka maikaʻi i kou puʻuwai i nā lā a pau o kou olaʻana a mahaloʻia e ka poʻe a pau e pili ana iāʻoe," Maui whispered as he gathered the little girl in his arms and pressed a kiss to her forehead. She was the hope and future of the Hawaiian islands, and her path would once again cross with that of the Guardians.

Lono placed a hand on Maui's back, lending him strength, and spoke the words that would bring them to Momilani's home, "Hoʻi i ka home."

The world around them faded, and as they disappeared shrouded in golden light, Maui heard Danny's voice sing out a note of victory as he pulled one of Steve's feathers loose and started leading the way home. Maui's heart soared right alongside Danny, and he allowed himself a small smile as he and Lono carried Momilani home to her aunt.

"You like the human," Lono said once they'd dropped the little girl off and modified the aunt's memories. There was a touch of jealousy in his voice, yet he had an arm wrapped around Maui's waist.

Knowing that Lono would see through a lie, Maui nodded. "I do. He is...what do the humans say? One of a kind?"

Lono nodded. "That they do. You are learning a lot, perhaps it is time that I -"

Maui cut Lono off with a kiss that made the other god moan, and when he pulled back, he gripped the back of Lono's neck tightly, holding him close. "There is still much for me to learn. I am impetuous and foolhardy and -"

This time, Lono cut Maui off with a toe curling kiss and then lead him away from the looking glass, toward the room they shared.

* * *

Translations, and additional notes:

What Maui says as he's healing Danny: "Valiant bird, you have fought well and have earned a reward worthy of the strength and size of your heart. I, Maui, who lifted the skies and keep the clouds at bay, grant you what your heart desires. You may turn into the form of the hawk at will, and soar the skies to your heart's content. I, Maui, grant you this. Now, my chosen Guardian, be well. May that which has been torn be fixed. May it be so, and may you soar the skies again, my Guardian, the winged hope of Hawaii and chosen mate of the chief Guardian." (I used Google Translate, so the translation is imperfect. The overall gist of the meaning, if not the exact wording, is there, though.)

"E Ala E," performed by Israel Kamakawiwo`ole - e ala e translates to arise, or rise up

What Maui says to Momilani as he prepares to return her to her aunt: "Sleep and dream of pleasant things, and when you wake, it will be in the comforting arms of your aunt. May you remember this day as one in which good triumphed over evil, and may you follow the goodness in your heart all the days of your life and earn the respect and admiration of everyone around you." (Again, Google Translate is not perfect, and captured only the gist of what I wrote.)


	7. A Thousand Times, Yes: Steve and Danny

**Disclaimer:** See initial chapter.

 **A/N:** This is the end of this segment in the series. Thanks to all of my supporters, and Irene Claire, who said that I should continue writing when I felt like quitting.

* * *

"C'mon, Danny, you can't stay like this forever," Steve said, his voice plaintive, bordering on whiny as he stroked Danny's feathers. Danny opened one of his eyes to a slit and took a step away from Steve, ducking out from beneath his hand.

They'd made it home a day and a half ago, and Steve had immediately resumed his human form, but Danny, who could choose his form at will, had not. He'd chosen, for whatever reason, to remain a hawk, and Steve, for the life of him, could not understand why. He was happy to be back to his old self, though he did miss the game of chase that he and Danny had played on the flight home. It had been fun, and he wouldn't trade it for anything. Danny'd been carefree and his joy had been contagious.

"Danny, please," Steve said, inching toward the bird who was now facing away from him. "I don't know what to say here. I...Danny, I need you. I love you. I want to...hell, Danny," Steve said, dragging a hand through his hair in frustration and stomping his way over to face the tree that Danny had perched himself on. Danny turned his head away, beak in the air in a total rebuff.

Taking a deep breath, Steve counted to ten in three different languages, before he let it out, and then he took a moment to gather his thoughts, and parse through his emotions, which had been more than a little chaotic and confusing since their last caper for Maui and Lono. Seeing Danny soar freely, and express himself in ways that he never had while governed by the tight reins of gravity, Steve wondered if he would ever be able to convince Danny to take on human form again.

It was a generous gift that Maui had given Danny. Steve knew that, but he couldn't help feeling a little left out, and worried that, now that Danny could fly, he'd leave Steve for bluer skies. Steve's heart hurt, and it made him uncomfortable and uncertain, and having Danny blatantly refuse to turn back into himself and then rebuff him was not helping.

"Danny, I love you," Steve repeated, looking up at Danny, who was standing on a branch just out of Steve's reach.

Danny shuffled on the branch and ducked his head down, twisting it to the side, and cooing as if to say, ' _So what? You say that a lot. I love you, too, you big lug, what's that got to do with anything?'_

"I know you like being a hawk, buddy, but," Steve paused as he took another moment to gather his thoughts, and get his emotions under some semblance of control.

It wasn't easy. Seeing Danny lying bloodied and motionless on the ground, even as a hawk, had nearly ended Steve, and he couldn't seem to stop seeing Danny lying in a bloody pool, wing severed from his body, breast bloodied and barely moving. Having Danny, the hawk, around was not helping matters at all, nor was the fact that hawk or human, Steve couldn't seem to shake the fear that Danny was slipping through his fingers, that, if he didn't do something, and soon, he would lose Danny, not to death, but to someone else.

Maybe it was selfish, but Steve didn't care. He _needed_ Danny, like Danny seemed to need the feel of the wind beneath his wings.

"Danny, I need you," Steve said.

Danny shifted on the branch, and hopped down to one closer to Steve. He tilted his head to the side, and made an inquiring sound. ' _Really?'_

Reaching up to run his fingers through the soft, silky feathers of his boyfriend's breast (which was a strange thought to have), Steve nodded. "Yes, I, Steven J., Danger-Magnet, McGarrett, need you. You're my sounding board -" Danny huffed and moved away from Steve's fingers.

"Danny, hear me out," Steve said. "You're, fuck, Danno, you're the fucking wind beneath my wings, okay?" Steve threw his hands in the air, and shook his head when Danny chortled in response.

"Laugh it up," Steve said, pointing a finger in Danny's direction. "This is the last time you get me to quote a chick flick for you."

Danny sidled up to Steve, and made a chirping sound that wasn't quite an apology, but was close enough, he moved close enough to let Steve touch him, and almost seemed to smile when Steve started petting him again.

"You are the reason I get out of bed in the morning," Steve said, stroking Danny's head and smiling at the way that Danny closed his eyes and made a contented sound, his head bowing down toward his chest to give Steve access to his neck.

"The reason I crawl into bed at night," Steve said. He held his arm out for Danny, and kissed the top of Danny's head when the hawk stepped off of the branch and perched on Steve's arm.

"The reason I live and breathe and ... marry me, Danno," Steve said, tracing the golden scar that lined the healed wing which had been severed. Danny shivered and flew away.

Closing his eyes, Steve swallowed the lump in his throat and squared his shoulders. "You -"

"So help me, Maui, if you say, 'complete me', Steven, I'm going to puke," Danny interrupted, arms wrapping around Steven from behind. "I love you, too, you big goof. You don't have to -"

"I want to," Steve said, turning and kissing Danny, taking in the golden scar that ran from Danny's collarbone to his armpit, and relishing in the warmth of Danny's naked body. "I want to marry you, and, you do complete me," Steve teased, kissing the corner of Danny's mouth, and enjoying the way that it made Danny shudder in response.

"Are you sure?" Danny asked, pulling back to search Steve's eyes, smiling at whatever it was that he saw there.

Nodding, Steve pressed his forehead against Danny's and ran his thumb along the back of Danny's neck. As much as he enjoyed running his fingers through the feathers of Danny's hawk form, Steve preferred the feel of Danny's skin beneath his fingertips, the press of lips against his own, a hard body to hold tight at night.

"Marry me, Danny," Steve said. "I've never wanted anyone more than I've wanted you. You're here," Steve said, placing Danny's hand against his chest, knowing that Danny could feel the beat of his heart. "And here." Steve moved Danny's hand to his forehead.

Smiling and biting his lip, Danny lowered his gaze and twined Steve's fingers with his own, and then pressed their hands together, between them, so that they could feel that their hearts were beating as one.

"I _do_ complete you," Danny said in a soft voice, free of teasing. He raised his gaze to Steve's. "And you complete me."

"Is that a, yes?" Steve asked, heart hammering, Danny's rushing to catch up and match the quicker pace of Steve's. Steve wondered if Maui and Lono had anything to do with this, and decided that, at the moment, he didn't care, because Danny was nodding, and kissing him, and Steve's heart was content.


End file.
